When Apple announced that the new iWork productivity suite will be available for free for all Mac users, consumers rejoiced. Along with the snazzy new OS X Mavericks update, Apple also released new version of its Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps. The new versions feature new UI and built from ground up as 64-bit applications for both Mac and iOS. Some users accused the new iWork as being ‘dumbed down’ however, as the new suite had glaringly missed features that were in previous versions.
If you, like me, found the new iWork weirdly dumbed down, then you’re certainly not alone. While somewhat accepting the new refined, simplified interface, some key features in previous versions were simply not there anymore. I had earlier posted a How To on extracting images from a Pages document using the new Pages v5.0 update.
In response to consumer complaints, Apple has posted a support page detailing features it will be restoring to the affected apps, in upcoming updates. This strategy seems similar to Final Cut Pro X, which suffered the same reaction from users. The new FCP X was criticised for being overly dumbed down and simplified. Apple added features back over time, and it seems that Apple is applying the same strategy for iWork.
Apple has not given a timeline on updated versions of iWork, but here’s a lowdown of what will be coming, as officially posted by Apple.
Pages
- Customise toolbar
- Vertical ruler
- Improved alignment guides
- Improved object placement
- Import of cells with images
- Improved word counts
- Keyboard shortcuts for styles
- Manage pages and sections from the thumbnail view
Numbers
- Customise toolbar
- Improvements to zoom and window placement
- Multi-column and range sort
- Auto-complete text in cells
- Page headers and footers
- Improvements to AppleScript support
Keynote
- Customize toolbar
- Restoring old transitions and builds
- Improvements to presenter display
- Improvements to AppleScript support
Source: Apple, Ars Technica
